The Nahmad Collection. From Monet to Picasso

The Nahmad Family : Guardians of Heritage

David Nahmad is much more than a collector—he is a transmitter of beauty. Since the 1960s, he and his brother Ezra have assembled a unique collection of artworks, driven by a sincere passion and deep respect for the artists they admire.

Unlike many collectors who preciously guard their treasures, David Nahmad and his family generously open the doors to their world. Their masterpieces travel across the globe, and French institutions often have the privilege of hosting them.

Through a rare and precious selection, the Nahmad Collection and the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny invite you to a celebration of art, where each work serves as a window into history and emotion.

Impressionism

The selection of Impressionist paintings offers an overview of the challenges of landscape representation within the Impressionist movement from the 1870s to the late 1890s, through works by Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, and Claude Monet.

Sisley – a childhood friend of Monet – accompanied the Impressionist movement from its beginnings. Like his fellow artists friends, he had a deep appreciation for nature and light, which he explored in his depictions of the Loing and Seine rivers.

Claude Monet, the “father of Impressionism,” profoundly influenced the 20th century, thus his link to modernity appears natural. The works on display in Giverny highlight key aspects of his career, from views of Argenteuil in the 1870s to a spectacular late-1890s canvas dedicated to his famous Water Lilies, including snow-covered landscapes and scenes from the Normandy coast.

An exceptional selection of portraits by Pierre-Auguste Renoir illustrates the artist’s fondness for female figures and childlike effigies, imbued with a deep sense of humanity. Edgar Degas, for his part, invites the public to observe dancers and bathers in vibrant pastels, while his sculptures of horses reveal another facet of his talent.

19th-Century Italian Art

Few art lovers would expect such a strong presence of 19th-century Italian artists in the Nahmad Collection. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the creativity of the Italian Peninsula, spanning from the 1870s Macchiaioli (the “stain painters”) to the early 20th century, represented by Giovanni Boldini, a celebrated artist of his time and a revered painter of European high society.

The Macchiaioli focused on scenes of rural life, genre painting, and Tuscan landscapes. Above all, they were passionate fighters for Italian unification, deeply involved in the Risorgimento movement, which affirmed Italy’s national identity.

Italian artists had strong ties with France, and many traveled to Paris to meet and befriend French painters. This was the case for Federico Zandomeneghi, who was close to Edgar Degas. Zandomeneghi was drawn to intimate portrayals of women, depicting them lost in their inner worlds. The selection also includes a work by Giovanni Boldini, a masterful portraitist of the late 19th century, showcasing his vibrant style and virtuoso brushwork.

Symbolism

By the late 19th century, as Impressionist painters were shaping the artistic scene with their vision of nature and the world, a new movement emerged—one more focused on ideas than on the physical reality of things. A carefully curated selection of Symbolist masterpieces from the Nahmad Collection unveils works by Gustave Moreau and Odilon Redon.

Several of Moreau’s works reflect both his fascination with mythology and his attraction to religious themes. Meanwhile, Redon’s paintings feature luminous, brilliantly colored compositions, a stark contrast to the dark “Noirs” of his early period. His delicate palette and meditative trait would later inspire the Blue and Rose Periods of a young Pablo Picasso, before being rediscovered by the Surrealists.

Towards Modernity

The Nahmad Collection is distinguished by its significant number of 20th-century paintings, emphasizing its resolutely modern orientation. The exhibition presents three key early 20th-century works, which both highlight the essence of the Nahmad Collection and serve as a conclusion—or an opening—to the story of modernity, spanning from Eugène Delacroix to Pablo Picasso, with Impressionism as the bridge.

A continuous dialogue emerges among the works of Delacroix, Sisley, Pissarro, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Boldini, Moreau, Redon, Matisse, and Picasso. Brought together in this exceptional collection, these artists seem to tell a shared story—the story of the liberation of color and form, of the multiple paths taken by modern painting at the dawn of the 20th century.

The Collection Nahmad. From Monet to Picasso exhibition is a unique opportunity for visitors to discover little-known masterpieces of Impressionism and modern art, providing a fascinating panorama of art while strengthening the links between museums and private collections.

Curator: Cyrille Sciama, Director General of the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny, Chief Curator.

Opening days

Exhibition presented from March 28 to June 29, 2025.

Prices

Full price | Concession price

• Adults: €12 | €9
• Audioguide : €4/person (FR or EN)

Free entry for:

• Visitors under 18.
• All individual visitors on the first Sunday of the months of April, May and June.

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